Canada and France opened new consulates in Nuuk on Friday, a move that signals support for Denmark and semi-autonomous Greenland amid repeated and aggressive demands from the United States over the island.
Greenland has been in the headlines for months after US President Donald Trump used his World Economic Forum address to insist the US should gain control of Greenland, calling it a national security priority. Trump has repeatedly floated buying Greenland or taking it by force, alarming EU and NATO partners and prompting emergency talks on the sidelines of the Davos forum.
“In a sense, it’s a victory for Greenlanders to see two allies opening diplomatic representations in Nuuk,” said Jeppe Strandsbjerg, a political scientist at the University of Greenland. “There is great appreciation for the support against what Trump has said.”
Canada’s foreign minister, Anita Anand, attended the opening of Ottawa’s consulate and is expected to meet Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt to discuss Arctic security cooperation. Ottawa announced plans for the consulate in late 2024 after Trump’s reelection, anticipating a return to the global stage. The new office shares a building with Iceland’s consulate.
Canada’s Foreign Ministry said the consulate will provide services to Canadians in Greenland, strengthen bilateral and commercial relations, expand people-to-people ties and mobility, and enhance cooperation on Arctic governance and security.
France’s new consulate is the first established in Greenland by an EU member state. Paris said its foreign minister will visit the mission within weeks, and a statement reiterated France’s commitment to respecting the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark. President Emmanuel Macron had announced plans for a diplomatic presence during a visit last year and pledged solidarity in response to US takeover rhetoric.
Jean-Noel Poirier, previously ambassador to Vietnam and Libya, was named France’s consul general and arrived in Nuuk on Friday. Speaking in Copenhagen, Poirier said the first priority would be to listen to Greenlanders, hear their positions, and confirm France’s support as desired by Greenland and Denmark.
Although Trump scaled back his maximalist ownership demands after agreeing to a “framework deal” with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Davos, his comments prompted creation of a US-Denmark-Greenland working group to address American security concerns in the Arctic. Denmark and Greenland say they are open to negotiating enhanced regional security but insist sovereignty and territorial integrity are non-negotiable.
Greenland has maintained diplomatic ties with the EU since 1992, with the US since 2014, and with Iceland since 2017. The US reopened its Nuuk mission in 2020, and the European Commission opened an office on the island in 2024.
Edited by: Zac Crellin
